A
A Russian spacecraft traveling to the International Space Station on Thursday had to make an emergency landing when a rocket engine failed to fire. It was the latest in a recent series of failures for the Russian space program, which is also used by the U. S. to carry its astronauts to the station.
United States astronaut Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Alexei Ovchinin landed safely about 20 kilometers from Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan. The city is about 450 kilometers from the Russia’s Baikonur space center, which Russia operates through an agreement with the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Both the U. S. space agency NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos reported that the two were quickly recovered from the landing area by rescue crews. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said, “Thank goodness the crew is alive” after they had landed safely.
About two minutes after launching, the three-stage Soyuz booster rocket suffered an unspecified failure of its second stage. Russia’s TASS news agency said the capsule carrying the two men separated from the troubled rocket safely. This caused the capsule to drop very sharply into the Earth’s atmosphere. Parachutes(降落伞) helped slow the returning capsule. Search and rescue teams were sent to recover the crew.
Russia’s RIA news agency reported that Russia has immediately put off all manned space launches after the failure. Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said he had ordered a state commission to carry out an investigation into what went wrong. He said Russia will share all relevant information with the U. S.
The TASS news agency said that the ISS crew has enough supplies and that the failed launch will not affect operations.
The U. S. and other nations have depended on Russia to carry astronauts to the ISS since the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. In coming years, American aerospace companies SpaceX, with its Dragon 2, and Boeing, with its Starliner, are expected to return to space.
【文章大意】 本文属于新闻, 讲述运送宇航员到国际空间站的一枚俄罗斯火箭由于发动机故障紧急降落, 所幸无人死亡。
1. What caused the failure of the launch?
A. The problem of the engine.
B. The terrible weather.
C. The drop of the capsule.
D. The wrong operation.
【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据第四段中的About two minutes after launching, the three-stage Soyuz booster rocket suffered an unspecified failure of its second stage. 可知, 发射两分钟之后, 三级火箭发动机遇到不明故障, 导致发射失败, 故选A。
2. What can we learn about the launch?
A. The capsule landed safely in Dzhezkazgan, Russia.
B. Russia had never failed in the space launch before this failure.
C. The failed launch will have a serious effect on the operations.
D. At first the capsule dropped very rapidly into the Earth’s atmosphere.
【解析】选D。推理判断题。根据第四段中的This caused the capsule to drop very sharply into the Earth’s atmosphere. Parachutes helped slow the returning capsule. 可知, 太空舱迅速掉入地球大气层, 降落伞减缓了太空舱的降落速度, 故选D。
3. What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?
A. SpaceX is sure to go back to space soon.
B. America carried astronauts to the ISS by itself before 2011.
C. Now only Russia can carry astronauts to space.
D. The ISS crew lives a very good life in the space station.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。根据最后一段中的The U. S. and other nations have depended on Russia to carry astronauts to the ISS since the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. 可知, 自从2011年美国航天飞机退役, 美国以及其他国家必须依靠俄罗斯火箭运送宇航员到国际空间站, 故可以得知, 2011年以前, 美国利用自己的航天飞机运送宇航员, 故选B。
4. What can be the best title for the text?
A. The Rescue of Two Astronauts
B. The Launch of Russian Spacecraft
C. Cooperation between Russia and America
D. Emergency Landing in Failed Space Launch
【解析】选D。主旨大意题。本文属于新闻, 根据新闻特点, 第一段第一句A Russian spacecraft traveling to the International Space Station on Thursday had to make an emergency landing when a rocket engine failed to fire. 为本文的主旨句, 讲述运送宇航员到国际空间站的一枚俄罗斯火箭由于发动机故障紧急降落, 故选D。
